Acadian Plains and Hills

The Acadian Plains and Hills cover most of eastern and coastal Maine, from Portland and Lewiston up through Augusta, Bangor, and Ellsworth. Cool short summers, long snowy winters, acidic soils, and the moderating pull of the Gulf of Maine near the coast set the terms here. Natives such as northern bayberry, red spruce, and dwarf-laurel handle that acidity and cold, and they keep their form through the wind coming off the water.

Conditions: Acidic, often thin soils over glacial till and bedrock, 42–50 inches of precipitation with heavy snow, cool summers and long cold winters.

Cities and areas: Bangor, Portland, Augusta, Lewiston, Ellsworth, Waterville.